Clippers overcome adversity en route to D-III title

PORTSMOUTH — The anchors may have been overboard, but nothing could sink the ship of the Portsmouth High School football team.

In a season full of audibles that weren’t limited to plays at the line of scrimmage, the third-seeded Clippers (9-2) overcame a rash of injuries to put themselves in their fifth straight Division III championship game on Saturday against No. 4 Goffstown.

Once there, Portsmouth gave its best performance of the season, with its 54-27 victory over the Grizzlies (6-6), securing its second straight state championship. It’s the first Portsmouth team in 35 years to win back-to-back state titles.

Portsmouth defeated Bedford in last year’s title game, 41-6.

“We had so many doubts,” Portsmouth senior lineman Rick Holt said. “After losing to Milford (in Week 9), our season was kind of in question and then we came back and beat them last week. Then we came back today and played probably the best offense we played all season.”

Portsmouth was dominated in a 24-6 loss to Milford, meaning the Clippers would have to travel again to Milford for last week’s semifinals. Portsmouth held the second-seeded Spartans to 118 yards of total offense in a 7-0 victory, setting up Saturday’s first championship home game for the program since 1976.

“I’ve been doing this a long, long time and there were times when we weren’t even sniffing the playoffs,” Portsmouth coach Bill Murphy said. “When you get here, you want to take advantage of it. We got the horses and a tremendous coaching staff, so it’s been a nice ride.”

Before a regular-season snap was taken, the Clippers had to deal with who would be the quarterback. The preseason favorite, senior Travis MacDonald, suffered an injury in a scrimmage against Marshwood, leading to juniors Donovan Phanor and Nate McFarland splitting time.

Once McFarland went down with an injury, Phanor took over the reins and established himself until he got hurt in Portsmouth’s 24-8 victory over Pembroke in Week 8.

Back in the lineup, Phanor ran for 108 yards and threw a touchdown pass in the semifinal win over Milford, and filed a deposit in the Portsmouth football memory banks on Saturday, throwing for 180 yards and two touchdowns, and adding 178 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

“Even with a bad knee, he played out of his mind today,” Holt said. “When you can run the ball or throw it any time you want under pressure like he does, it just adds a whole other element that the defense has to play against.”

Phanor’s injury limited him to playing just on the offensive side of the ball and not cornerback. Senior wide receiver Colin MacDonald said Phanor is the total package and compared his abilities to that of former Portsmouth standout Rod Walker.

“He’s a one-of-kind athlete; you don’t get those often,” MacDonald said. “Last person I can think of like him was Roddy Walker — offense, defense; he can do anything. If he wasn’t coming off an MCL injury, he probably would’ve had three picks.”

Phanor said that after Portsmouth’s 18-13 loss to Souhegan in the division opener and the slew of injuries, for his team to rally and never lose sight of what it wanted showed what it was made of.

“This season has been a real roller-coaster,” Phanor said. “We went to Souhegan and got kicked. After that, everybody started getting banged up; we lost some players. To be able to come back here and get still get the job done, it’s incredible.”

Colin MacDonald went through his own injuries, after leaving on the first play of Portsmouth’s 35-19 win over Hollis-Brookline. He came back to play the final two games of the regular season, but said he wasn’t 100 percent until the playoff game against Milford.

Phanor and MacDonald didn’t have much of a chance to mesh during the regular season, but they made up for it in a big way on Saturday. The duo connected six times for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

“Today, I felt 150, 300 percent; there were no worries,” MacDonald said. “We just clicked.”

While the offense struggled at times this season, the one constant was the defense that allowed an average of 13.5 points a game. Holt and Kurtis Leonard anchored the front line, along with junior Noah Curry.

Younger Clippers took advantage of opportunities presented when injuries hit. Freshman Joseph Auger played regularly in the defensive backfield and came up with the game-sealing interception in Portsmouth’s win over Milford.

Perhaps nobody emerged more throughout the season more than junior Jake Becker. Becker took over the starting spot at linebacker early in the season and came up with an interception on Saturday. He added 43 yards and two touchdowns running.

“Jake gets better and better every game, and next year, it’ll be on his shoulders,” Murphy said.

McFarland made his mark on Saturday as well, with an interception and a fumble recovery.

“He’s a youngster, really, and he’s maturing in front of our eyes, and he played very well today,” Murphy said. “Now he’s got to continue and step up next year.”

Portsmouth’s final touchdown on Saturday was also provided by someone that’ll likely be heard of more in the next two years.

Sophomore Mikel Toar has been a staple at middle linebacker, but the bull of a fullback also rumbled for a 51-yard scoring run. With leading rusher Dillon Crosby (724 yards, eight touchdowns) graduating, the Clippers will be in good hands with Toar, Becker and Phanor running the ball.

“Mikel Toar did an exceptional job again today and he had the opportunity to show what he could do on the big stage,” Murphy said. “We’re looking forward to having him for the next two years.”

The Clippers will take their shot in a revamped, 20-team Division II with current Division III and Division IV schools, including Division IV champion Plymouth.

As the celebration began Saturday, Phanor was already thinking about a potential dynasty.

“I know next year we’ll be in the hunt again,” Phanor said. “We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do for Portsmouth. I want another championship, that’s it. I want to end on three straight.”